Is the Aerodesk revolution upon us?
Some things never change, like tripods, chairs, beds, the eternally useful wheel. Why should they? They serve specific purposes and for the most part, they’ve served countless generations of our species well, without needing to develop much beyond their original rudimentary designs. The humble work/office desk is another example of a functional thing that has barely changed despite our needs in the modern office being significantly different to those required in offices 30/40 years ago. But the people behind Aerodesk want to do address the status quo.
Enter the Aerodesk, an escritoire described by its makers as “a masterpiece of ergonomics and technology”. The Aerodesk main feature is its LightBar an intergrated illuminated section that is designed to boost energy levels, along with a set of hydraulic legs that allow it to be converted seamlessly from a seated to a standing desk.
Conceived by feted designer John Tomalin-Reeves who created the First Class lounge at Heathrow’s T5 and revolutionised the barbecue market with his Halo Cooltouch, the Aerodesk is the first desk for the device generation.
The wireless desk houses an in-built plug socket, USB port, bluetooth speaker and Qi charger, while the top-of-the-range model features a DuPont Corian top.
Its most unique feature is a LightBar which can recreate daylight through its 5500 Kelvin frequency, as well as utilising the entire colour spectrum to increase energy and productivity levels.
With the NHS in the middle of a year-long trial to assess the benefits of height-adjustable desks too, John said it was the perfect time to launch the Aerodesk.
“The statistics are incredible,” he says. “Standing for three hours a day burns 30,000 extra calories per year, the equivalent of running 10 marathons.
“Add in the ability to create natural light for those in windowless offices, or coloured lights to improve moods and productivity, and you have the ultimate wireless, stylish desk space.”
So why do desks need revolutionising?
“If you took a snapshot of desks up and down the country they’d have common themes – trailing with wires, covered with devices and offering little or no inspiration,” John explains.
“People think nothing of splashing out on their beds because they spend a third of their lives in them. We spend the same amount of time at our desks yet for some reason no one has ever designed one that you want to be at.
“The Aerodesk has changed this. It’s the first desk to be personal, bespoke, individual.”
Studies have long linked excessive sitting to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death. A recent study of 800,000 people found that, compared with those who sat the least, people who sat the longest had a 112 per cent increased risk of type 2 diabetes, a 147 per cent increase in cardiovascular problems and a 90 per cent increase in death from heart attack and stroke.
In a separate study from the neuroscience program at Northwestern University in Chicago, it concluded that there is a strong relationship between workplace daylight exposure and office workers’ sleep, activity and quality of life.
“The extent to which daylight exposure impacts office workers is remarkable,” said study co-author Ivy Cheung, a Neuroscience doctoral candidate at Northwestern University. “Day-shift office workers’ quality of life and sleep may be improved via emphasis on light exposure and lighting levels in current offices as well as in the design of future offices,” said Cheung.
Utilising hydraulic legs from celebrated Danish manufacturer Linak, the desk can move up to a height of 1365mm and glide down to just 695mm – not only enabling people to sit and stand, but also helping workers with accessibility issues.
A memory pack enables you to set not only the exact heights you require but also determine when you need to stand, the surface tilts enabling you to find the perfect work angle, and the changing colours from the light bar will boost your energy levels. John is famed for taking an ordinary object and giving it a wow factor.
“When I invented the Halo Cooltouch it was purely because I was so sick of every barbecue looking the same,” he continued. “Now it’s the desks turn.
“I see it as a cockpit really,” says John. “A living, breathing, exciting place to be, regardless of what you do.”
For more information check out www.aerodesk.co.uk. Desks start from £1,500.
